Carlow songwriter Joe Cleere set for Netflix moment
Musician and producer Joe Cleere
JOE CLEERE is busy – and about to get busier. A song of his will feature in a Netflix adaptation of Marian Keyes’ novel , to be released later this year, and he has gigs lined up with his musical collaborator Konua, including one at the upcoming Carlow Beo festival.
Joe spends most of his time in Carlow but works in London once a month. When we speak, he is working at the famed RAK Studios, where The Pogues’ iconic was recorded, along with artists such as David Bowie, Radiohead, Adele and many more.
Reluctant to namedrop, I drag it out of him that he’s hung out with The Pixies at the studio and even bumped into Harry Styles. On any given day, he works with well-known producers, singers and DJs, having worked earlier that week with DJ Sigala, popular K-pop band Hearts2Hearts, and VINCINT, a finalist from USA talent competition .
The song chosen for – starring Aisling Bea and Robert Sheehan – which Joe wrote and recorded in Carlow, is special to the musician as it features his wife Laura on tin whistle and his granddad Tim Lyons on fiddle. He said his grandfather, who is in his 80s and has played in trad bands for years, will be “delighted” to hear the song on Netflix.
No stranger to the music business, Joe has been performing and writing songs from a young age. “I did my first gig at 12 years old at a battle of the bands in Carlow on the steps of the courthouse,” he said.
“Going back in the day, Kodaline used to support me and then I used to support The Script at one point. These days, I work with a lot of international DJs and K-pop artists,” he explains, adding that he also has his own side project Konua. This is a collaboration with friend and fellow musician Lorenzo Cosi, who has written for David Guetta and worked on Lana Del Rey’s music.
“We took ‘Ko’, which is the Japanese for ‘I am’ and ‘nua’, which is the Irish for ‘new’, so it’s ‘I am new’,” explained Joe.
He describes the band’s performances as “an immersive listening experience”, with Joe on vocals alongside synth and live strings, all accompanied by visuals.
“Carlow Beo and the Arts Council were a huge, huge support. They funded the gig and I used that money to buy all of the lights and everything that we need to perform. So all the money’s going back into the gig and to pay all of the artists who are playing with us as well.”
Konua’s gig at The Exchange on 11 September is free, with a €2 booking fee, and they will be supported by Carlow indie-pop band Sitting Room.
